Surely the members of Friends & Neighbors are indeed friends and maybe they are, in fact, neighbors in Norway but the band's name has further import: back in 1970, the Ornette Coleman Quartet with Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell gave a concert at the leader's loft, released that year on Flying Dutchman as Friends And Neighbors — Ornette Live At Prince Street. For five previous albums and now Circles, this Scandinavian outfit, comprised of André Roligheten (tenor saxophone), Thomas Johansson (trumpet), Swede Oscar Grönberg (piano), Jon Rune Strøm (bass) and Tollef Østvang (drums), has built upon Coleman's innovations in composition and improvisation.
Between them these players — only one over 40 — have amassed an impressive range of credits with Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Gard Nilssen, Paal Nilssen-Love, Hannah Paulsen, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Frode Gjerstad, Mats Gustafsson, Martin Küchen, Mats Äleklint and others, as well as their own groups. That covers the widest swath of modern jazz, Scandinavian or otherwise, and this range is on display throughout Circles. Adding to the catholic nature of the album is that all members contributed tunes. More important, the whole date is just a little over 40 minutes, with the longest piece, Strøm's "Son" at 8:17 and the shortest and gentlest, Roligheten's "Hymn Infinitum", only 3:33.
There are two dedications. Grönberg's opening "Cecil" is clearly in homage to pianist Taylor in its jittery rhythms, lurching melody and the percussive attack of its composer. Fifth tune "Charles", by Østvang, is more oblique; is its abstract melody and stabbing piano in homage to Gayle? Tyler? Maybe even Mingus?
The trope of icy, Nordic jazz is exploded by the near-calypso of Johansson's "Ghost March" and the subversive rhumba rhythms heard in Østvang's closing "Latin Phonetics" while the slow, oozing swing of Østvang's title track makes the piece feel like an unheard outtake from Lee Morgan's Search for the New Land.
Compositionally the highlight is "Son". It moves from a prelude-like intro of tenor and bass lasting nearly two minutes into an angular piano trio segment. It takes more than half of the song's duration before trumpet finally enters over a gentle groove and there is less than 90 seconds left by the time the full band is playing but that only goes on for a minute before yielding to a return of tenor/bass in yearning epilogue.
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